Khafre Heads Karaka Quinella in Matamata Cup

Karaka graduates dominated the finish of Friday’s $80,000 Listed Team Wealleans Matamata Cup (1600m), headed by a piece of front-running brilliance by Khafre (American Pharoah).

Offered by Phoenix Park in Book 1 of Karaka 2021 on behalf of breeder Terry Archer, Khafre was a $155,000 purchase by Cambridge trainer Ralph Manning. His 24-race career has so far produced five wins, five placings and $142,315 in stakes for owner Tony Coombe.

Runner-up Mary Shan (NZ) (Almanzor) was bought for $180,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2022 and has earned $180,240 from a 15-start career in which she has won twice and placed on another five occasions.

Khafre has shown an affinity for Matamata, where he has never finished further back than third from five appearances. Friday produced his second win at the course, courtesy of the standout performance of his career so far.

Ridden by Jasmine Fawcett with the 53-kilogram minimum weight on his back, Khafre took the lead within the first 50 metres of the race and never surrendered that position. He had a relatively easy time in front coming down the side of the track, then produced a power-packed kick after coming around the home turn.

That carried him well clear of the chasers, and he never showed any sign of slowing down through the last 200 metres. Mary Shan launched a strong finish out of the pack and closed to within half a length, but there was no catching Khafre. The third-placed Mali Ston (NZ) (El Roca) finished another two and a half lengths behind the Karaka quinella.

“I was pretty confident that he was going to be a good chance today with 53 kilograms,” Fawcett said. “He won his maiden at Matamata as a three-year-old and he obviously knows his way around the course here, and whenever you’re riding one of Ralph Manning’s horses, you can be confident that they’re trained to the minute.

“He got to the lead easily and we were able to get some quite soft sectionals from the 800 to the 600 metres. Then he kicked really hard off the corner and he was always going to be hard to run down.”

Friday’s Matamata Cup was the second black-type appearance for Khafre, who had previously contested the $1m Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) at Pukekohe in January of 2023. He finished behind a star-studded field, beaten by eight lengths by the likes of Prowess (NZ) (Proisir), Wild Night (NZ) (Vanbrugh), Desert Lightning (NZ) (Pride Of Dubai), Legarto (NZ) (Prowess) and Sacred Satono (NZ) (Satono Aladdin).